​Review; I Am a Hero Omnibus Volume 1 TPB

I am not a Manga aficionado, I have read a number of titles but the sheer volume and diversity of the genre are a difficult mountain to climb. I do however pay attention to the releases that Dark Horse bring to the western market. So it was with a large dose of anticipation that I dived into I Am a HERO Kengo Hanazawa’s award winning series.The omnibus from Dark Horse consists of the first two volumes and takes up over 450 pages giving you quite a bang for your buck. However the real value of this story comes in the telling not just the page count.

The story revolves around an everyman named Hideo Suzuki a failed Manga Artist turned who has had to become an artist's assistant to continue to work in the industry. We spend a great deal of time around him and the more you get to know him the uncomfortable it can be, From an imaginary friend to his inner monologue you can tell he is not in the best of places. Despite this he is essentially a good guy who is don on his luck, struggling to find his place in the world. This helps to make him relatable to the reader and so an investible storytelling mechanic. This is a good thing as we spend the majority of time in the omnibus with not a lot of story playing out apart from Hideo’s life.

It’s a refreshing move in the narrative as we do not rush to the main action that encircles the story. Infact the whole first volume is set up, this is where the omnibus format is a great move by the publishers. I think many readers would have been put off by the lack of action in the first volume and although you need to invest time into the reading it is not a matter of months before you receive some sort of repayment (in terms of action) for that time. It’s a delicate balance but I think this format will suit most readers as we are getting the best of both worlds with the extended set-up having room to breath and give us hints as to the growing crisis.

Unlike the Walking Dead (a series I Am a Hero is compared to) Hideo is not a hero, has very little in common with Rick Grimes apart from the fact they both know their way around a firearm. Hideo though replaces Rick’s trademark Python for a Shotgun, in a non-gun culture like that of Japan this is irregular but is explained within the context of the story to a satisfying degree, as most parts of the narrative are.

The art is an interesting mix as the more realistic human characters feel a real contrast to the images we see of the undead. Hanazawa does a wonderful job of making you feel repulsed at the sight of the “creatures” especially in the depictions of their movements.One note on the use of colour, the first few pages of each volume are coloured but the majority of the story is balck and white. This is a common Manga practice and although I love black and white imagery the coloured pages are fantastic and do make you think what this would have looked like in full colour.

Overall this is a fantastic insight into a flawed character that makes you want to continue to read more. I know come October the fifth when the next Omnibus is published it will be top of my to read pile.

Please be aware the below images are graphic and come from the later half of the book so Spoilers are included.